


Coffee Boy

by baeksreign



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 20:04:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11259981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeksreign/pseuds/baeksreign
Summary: Barista Baekhyun's life seems to be moving in reverse when he reunites with his ex-fiance thanks to a modeling contract.





	Coffee Boy

“Disgusting.” Baekhyun put his phone into a pocket on his deep red apron, huffing. “Chanyeol is apparently releasing a brand new album. Woohoo.” He rolled his eyes and grabbed a damp cloth, wiping the counter off.

 

His co-worker, Kyungsoo, frowned. “Really?” He asked, stacking up cups by the display full of treats such as cake pops, muffins, and coffee cakes- which were Baekhyun’s favorite. He snorted and shook his head. “If only his fans knew what a douche he was, right?” He laughed, giving Baekhyun a little nudge.

 

Baekhyun chuckled quietly as he walked  around the counter and to the front door to turn on the open sign, watching it light up in blue and red colors. “I’m over him. It just sucks that he’s a celebrity now so I have to see him everywhere and-” He paused, scrunching his nose when hearing one of Chanyeol’s songs flood the shop. “Hear him everywhere.” He continued as  he walked towards the radio behind the counter, hesitating a bit before flipping it to the next station.

 

It was one of Chanyeol’s older songs that had been released about a year ago. Baekhyun could remember sitting next to Chanyeol in their bed while Chanyeol wrote it, strumming away on his guitar- the guitar that Baekhyun saved up for months to buy him for their anniversary. Chanyeol proposed with that guitar, hiding the ring under the soundboard before  complaining that the guitar sounded weird and that Baekhyun should find out what was wrong with it. He left him to discover the diamond ring.

 

_“What are you writing now?” Baekhyun climbed onto the bed next to Chanyeol, folding his legs underneath him and smiling lazily as he sipped on his coffee. He had on one of Chanyeol’s shirts, his jet black hair looking as if Chanyeol had spent hours tugging on it (he did)._

 

_Chanyeol smiled and put the guitar to the side so he could pull his fiance onto his lap, his hands moving up the sides of the shirt to rub his small waist. “A song for you.” He whispered, pecking his lips and scrunching his nose at the scent of coffee. “Even though you smell. I should name the song ‘Coffee Boy’, shouldn’t I?” He laughed._

 

_Baekhyun laughed, reaching around Chanyeol to put his cup down on the bedside table. “Funny.” He said. “You’ll have to explain to everyone once you’re famous that the song is about your fiance with the  coffee breath.” He was a giggling mess as he moved to lay onto his back, pulling Chanyeol on top of him._

 

He actually named the song ‘Coffee Girl’ instead. Asshole.

 

“Good morning!” Baekhyun called out to customers as they walked into the shop. He put the cloth to the side after wiping the counter, smiling warmly. “What can I get for you?” He asked as they approached the register. Chanyeol hated coffee. The smell and the taste of coffee made him cringe. It was ironic, really. Chanyeol hated coffee and he _was_ in love with a barista- emphasis on the _was_. “I’ll get started on that right now.” He said politely after taking the customers’ orders and handing them their receipt before turning to make the coffees.

 

The coffee shop was one of Baekhyun’s proudest possessions. He opened it with Kyungsoo, who he met when they  worked together at a small donut shop in high school. Kyungsoo’s family was happy to help the two invest in the shop after Chanyeol’s engagement with Baekhyun was broken.  “Don’t you think I should put up a hiring sign?” Kyungsoo asked Baekhyun as he helped him make coffee. “We need more people so we can get more days off.” He was right. The two were working all the time, with only one day off each week.

 

“Yeah, sure.” Baekhyun shrugged. “Can you do the interviews, though? At least for the first week?” He asked with a small whine, writing the order names on the cups of coffee. “Sehun is upset that I don’t get to spend a lot of time with him and his birthday is coming up.” He smiled slightly, bouncing on his feet. “I wanna do something special for him on his birthday!”

 

Kyungsoo cringed. “God, say no more.” He laughed loudly and waved his hands in front of his face. “I’ll do interviews.”

 

Baekhyun squealed, earning the attention of the new customers that had just walked in. “You’re the best!” He gasped and playfully kissed Kyungsoo’s cheek, laughing and running off to give the previous customers their order before Kyungsoo could slap him.

 

Baekhyun met Sehun a few months after Chanyeol got signed by  a label. He was a photographer, and Baekhyun was his first sort of model. Sehun had taken pictures of Baekhyun while he was outside of the coffee shop putting a sign for a new drink on  the window.

 

_“Hey!” Baekhyun called out, turning to the creep who had their camera pointed directly at him. “The hell are you doing? I didn’t say you could take pictures!”_

 

_Sehun blushed, putting the camera down. He was flustered. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I thought it would be creepy to ask.”_

 

_Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. “It’s more creepy to just start taking pictures.”_

 

_“Sorry.” Sehun said again, laughing and walking closer. “My name is Sehun. I need pictures for my portfolio.” He explained. His voice was gentle, and Baekhyun felt bad for being an asshole. “May I take pictures of you?”_

 

_“Sure.”_

 

It was mostly business after that. Baekhyun let Sehun take pictures of him for _educational_ purposes, as long as Sehun would take pictures of the shop for advertising. Eventually, Sehun finished his portfolio and didn’t need pictures of the barista anymore, but Baekhyun insisted he continue because he actually enjoyed being a model. After Chanyeol got signed, he needed a distraction. Sehun would become that distraction and a friend.

 

“I can buy the hiring sign if you want.” Baekhyun offered while cleaning off tables that night once the shop had closed.

 

“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll buy it on my way home.” Kyungsoo said. “It was my idea anyways.” He shrugged and took his apron off before  putting it into his bag. He grabbed a cloth, helping Baekhyun clean up. “Besides, you should save your money for Sehun’s birthday present.”

 

-

 

For Sehun’s birthday present, Baekhyun wandered the city streets that night looking for something special to get him. “He already has enough clothes.” He told himself while standing in the middle of a clothes shop. Baekhyun  would probably end up stealing the clothes, anyway. It was basically like buying clothes for himself. Whining, he stomped around and went to a mirror to fix his hair. “Baekhyun, you’re a shitty friend.”

 

“Chanyeol has a girlfriend?” A girl behind him squeaked to her group of friends.

 

“No way! He’s dating me, remember?” One girl giggled.

 

“No, seriously. Look!” The first girl showed the rest of the group her phone and all of them gasped.

 

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, turning to them. “Chanyeol?” He laughed. “Park Chanyeol has a _girlfriend_?”

 

One girl looked up at him, frowning. “Yeah. He’s dating that girl in the same label as him.”

 

He bursted into laughter. “No way! He’s-” He started before he cut himself off, chuckling and ruffling his own hair. “Nevermind.” He shook his head and continued to laugh with himself, leaving the store to go to a shop across the street. “Friendship bracelets. Sehun would find that cute.” He whispered to himself.

 

The girls all exchanged looks. “That guy was crazy.” One whispered.

 

Baekhyun showed up at Sehun’s door that night, prancing into the apartment as soon as the door was opened. “Hello!” He cheered, kicking his shoes off to the side. “Why do you look so shocked?”

 

“I didn’t know you were coming.” Sehun said, standing in shock for a moment before closing the door. “How are you so energetic? It’s almost midnight.”

 

“I’m a night owl.” Baekhyun grinned before going straight to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and pulling out strawberries. He put some in a bowl and went to the couch, flopping down against one of the pillows. “I think I’m gonna stay here tonight. You don’t mind, do you?” He gave Sehun his iconic puppy eye look.

 

Sehun laughed and sat next to Baekhyun, stealing a strawberry. “Of course I don’t mind. I watched a shit ton of ghost videos so I was scared to be alone, anyways.” He said and poked Baekhyun’s nose. “You know what Friday is, don’t you?”

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips and glanced around the room as if he was deep in thought. “Friday?” He repeated, furrowing his eyebrows when Sehun nodded. “Hmm..”

 

“Oh, come on!”

 

“I’m kidding!” Baekhyun laughed loudly, feeding Sehun a strawberry. “It’s your birthday.” Baekhyun smiled and nodded. “I already got your present. What kind of friend do you think I am?” He asked with a frown. “I’ve been looking for your present all night.”

 

Sehun gasped and sat up straight. “You got me a present?” He asked, pretending to be surprised. He laughed loudly when Baekhyun glared at him before pulling him into a tight side hug. “I know you’re an amazing friend.” He chuckled, squeezing him in his arms before standing up. “I’m gonna go get ready for bed, okay? Feel free to join me.” He winked and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

 

“Okay.” Baekhyun smiled happily. He put the bowl down on the table and leaned back on the couch, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Thinking of what the girls said at the shop, he pursed his lips and opened a website containing the most relevant celebrity gossip.

 

_Teenage heart throb Park Chanyeol in a relationship (pics included)._

 

Baekhyun  raised his eyebrows at the title before opening the article. Chanyeol was apparently spotted on a date with another singer. A _female_ singer.

 

“No way.” He snorted, shaking  his head as he exited the article and got up from the couch. After putting his bowl away, he dragged his feet into Sehun’s bedroom. “Sehun.” He whispered, crawling into bed next to him and pulling the blankets up. Frowning, Baekhyun stared up at the ceiling as he thought about his and Kyungsoo’s conversation from earlier. “Do you know anyone looking for a job?”

 

Sehun laughed sleepily. “How can you be thinking of work right now?” He whispered. “I can ask around in the morning.” He nodded and hugged a nearby pillow. “Get some sleep.”

 

-

 

“Sehun gave me some names.” Baekhyun said to Kyungsoo the next morning, handing him a sheet of paper. “Their numbers are on there  too.  Apparently they’re all in need of jobs and they’re around our age. That can be a good or bad thing.” He laughed and put his apron on. “Are you sure you can interview all of them on your own?”

 

Kyungsoo nodded, looking over the paper before folding it up and putting it in his pocket. “I’ll be fine, really.” He laughed, hanging up the hiring sign on the window by the door. “Um..” He cleared his throat. “Did you hear about Chanyeol?”

 

Baekhyun paused in tying his apron. Clearing his throat, he nodded. “Yeah. He’s dating a singer in his company.” He said. “I didn’t think she was that great of a singer, anyway.” He scrunched up his nose and leaned against the counter. Shaking his head, he laughed. “I heard some girls in a shop crying because they wouldn’t be able to date him now. Crazy, right? As if they already had a chance.”

 

“The whole thing looks staged.” Kyungsoo mumbled as he took a seat at a nearby table. “If they wanted to look more believable, they wouldn’t have been in such a public place.” He said, taking out the folded paper and his phone to dial the first number on it. “I’m gonna set up interviews now.”

 

 

Baekhyun watched as people came in and out for interviews, Kyungsoo coming over every so often to help him make coffee and take orders. Luckily it wasn’t their busiest afternoon afterall. The sixth and final person to come in looked familiar. Tan skin, dark brown hair, built arms and shoulders. Kim Jongin. He was a friend of Chanyeol’s. The two would always play video games in the living room while Baekhyun watched and begged Chanyeol for his attention.

 

This meant that Baekhyun’s close friend and ex-fiance shared a mutual friend.

 

He watched as Kyungsoo and Jongin shook hands, Kyungsoo’s cheeks a faint shade of pink. Baekhyun frowned, knowing not to interrupt this particular interview. Kyungsoo looked starstruck, and Baekhyun wanted no more connections whatsoever to Park Chanyeol.

 

Once Jongin’s interview was over, Kyungsoo came to the counter to check on Baekhyun. “He was really cute.” He whispered, patting his red cheeks. He looked at the orders, taking one for himself and grabbing an empty cup to fill with ice and coffee. “I think we should hire him. Not based just on looks, of course.”

 

“It’s up to you.” Baekhyun sighed. “You did the interviews so you know the best options, right?” He frowned slightly and bit his bottom lip as he picked up a recently made cappuccino and carried it to a table by the window, delivering it to a young woman on her laptop. Glancing at the screen as he put the cup down, he raised an eyebrow. She was writing an article about celebrity gossip. “Need anything else?” He asked politely.

 

“No thank you.” She smiled and shook her head, putting in her earphones.

 

Baekhyun nodded,  giving one quick look at the article before walking back to the counter and checking the display. “We’re short on coffee cakes.” He told Kyungsoo, tightening his own apron. “I’m gonna go in the back and make some more. Come get me if you miss me.” He winked, laughing and going in the back to the kitchen.

 

The back room of the coffee shop was small yet it served its purpose. There was a small window on the doors to the room that allowed one to look out at the shop. Baekhyun looked out said window while taking the coffee cakes out of the oven that sat next to the doors, putting the cakes into wrappers with pale pink polka dots. He paused, seeing a girl sitting across from the lady he gave the cappuccino to. Raising an eyebrow, he put the cakes on a plate and brought them out, putting them in the display. “Kyungsoo, can you put the rest of these up?” He asked as he put the plate down on the counter and grabbed a small bucket of water and a cloth. “I need to clean that table over there.”

 

When Kyungsoo nodded, Baekhyun hurried to the table behind the lady on her laptop. The article was still open when he glanced back, and she was typing away while sipping on her drink and talking to the girl across from her. He sat down while scrubbing at the table- slowly, so he would hear as much as he could.

 

“You’re a friend of Chanyeol’s, you said?” The lady asked.

 

“No.” The girl shook her head and adjusted the hat on her head, glancing around the shop carefully. “I’m a friend of his girlfriend’s. I wanted to clear some things up. That’s why I called you here.” She was whispering, and Baekhyun had to lean back just a bit to hear more. “You wrote the article with the pictures of them on a date.”  
  
“That’s correct. Can I have your name?”

 

“My name is- no. I want to be anonymous.” She said quickly. “I don’t want anything to come back to me.” She explained gently as she fidgeted with her fingers. “They aren’t actually dating. You need to take the article down.” She was speaking in a more firm tone this time. “My friend- his ‘girlfriend’- is receiving hate for this dumb relationship. It was meant to help the company, but they didn’t think of the consequences. They didn’t _care_ to think.”

 

“Is Chanyeol receiving hate as well?”

 

The girl sighed heavily. “I don’t know! Just take the article down. It’s all fake.” She sounded angry and she put her hands on the table, standing up. “Talk to whoever you need to in order to get it down. Stop writing fake shit on your laptop in order to get your paycheck.” She gave the lady one last glare before storming out of the shop, pulling her hair over her shoulder.

 

Baekhyun got up from his seat and followed her outside. “Wait!” He called, pursing his lips when she stopped abruptly and turned to look at him. “I heard what you said.” He said as he approached her carefully. “What’s your name?”

 

“I said I wanted to be anon-”

 

“No, no.” Baekhyun laughed, waving a hand. “I’m not a reporter. I just work here and I-” He paused and frowned, unsure of how to word his explanation. “I used to be _close_ with Chanyeol. Their relationship is fake?”

 

The girl looked him over before sighing. “My name is Sejeong.” She said, folding her arms and leaning on one hip. “Yeah, I thought it was obvious that it was fake. Did you see those pictures?” She laughed.

 

 _I knew it_ . Baekhyun had no idea why he just _had_ to know what was going on. He couldn’t care less if Chanyeol was receiving a little hate from butthurt fans. “If it’s obvious that they aren’t actually dating then why is anyone getting hate?”

 

“There are always fans who support their idol, and then there are some fans who let jealousy overtake them.” Sejeong frowned. “I don’t know why they act like that, I just know it’s bullshit. My friend is having to pretend to love Chanyeol, when she actually-” She stopped herself, her cheeks pink. “Nevermind.” She shook her head and reached for her wallet in her purse, handing Baekhyun some cash. “Can I get a coffee cake?”

 

Baekhyun nodded slowly in understanding. He knew what she was going to say, and he would ask no more about it. “Keep the money. I’ll be right back.” He hurried inside to grab a coffee cake from Kyungsoo before he could put it in display, giving the lady with the laptop a sharp glare. “Here.” He gave the wrapped coffee cake to Sejeong when returning outside and smiled. “It was nice talking to you. I hope everything goes well.”

 

Sejeong smiled. “Thanks.” She took the coffee cake, unwrapping it. “Spit in that lady’s coffee, yeah?” She was laughing as she turned to leave, giving Baekhyun a small wave.

 

“What was that about?” Kyungsoo mumbled with slightly bigger eyes than usual when Baekhyun returned.

 

“That girl, Sejeong,” Baekhyun sighed, “She’s friends with Chanyeol’s girlfriend. Well, she isn’t even his girlfriend.” He explained. “The lady over there with the laptop is a reporter and she’s currently in the midst of writing an article about the new celebrity couple that some people seem to hate.”

 

“Baek-”

 

“Don’t.” Baekhyun said quickly. “I’m not getting involved. The curiosity was just killing me.”

 

Kyungsoo frowned, nodding. “Good.” He whispered. “Chanyeol wanted nothing to do with you, so you should want nothing to do with him.”

 

As much as it hurt to hear, Kyungsoo was right.

 

-

 

“Yeol!” Jongin laughed when walking into Chanyeol’s apartment. “I had an interview today. Usually, you get interviewed by an old creep or something, right?” He asked and sat on the couch, immediately stealing the remote. “Well I didn’t. I got interviewed by this really cute guy with big eyes and nice lips.”

 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes and sat next to Jongin with a bowl of popcorn. “Jeez, give me time to respond, will you?” He chuckled. “Where’s the interview for?”

 

Jongin shrugged, flipping through channels. “A coffee shop. It’s really cute. Right across the street from a flower store.”

 

“O-Oh, really?” Chanyeol gulped.

 

“Yeah. The guy at the cash register looked familiar. I couldn’t see his tag, though.”

 

“Baekhyun?”

 

Jongin paused, thumb freezing over the ‘next’ button on the remote. His eyes widened and he looked at Chanyeol. “ _Byun_ Baekhyun? Black hair, droopy eyes, short?”

 

“Yeah.” Chanyeol was frowning. “Was that who you saw?”

 

Jongin nodded. “I think. Holy shit.” He mumbled, rubbing his forehead and leaning his head back against the cushions. “Look, I won’t work there if you don’t want me to. But you’ll be keeping me from seeing his cute friend.”

 

Chanyeol groaned and shook his head, putting the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. “I don’t care if you work there or not, I don’t control you.” He sighed and stared at the cartoon on the television.

“But I’m not gonna go see you at work or anything. Baekhyun doesn’t want to see me ever again, and I’m sure he hates seeing my face everywhere.”

 

“At least you can admit that you fucked up.” Jongin chuckled, flinching when he received a glare. “Hey, I was joking. Anyways,  I probably didn’t even get the job.”

 

“I would be surprised if you did,  you can’t even count.” Chanyeol laughed weakly, trying to loosen the string that was tightened around his chest. He picked up the remote and swallowed the  large lump in his throat. “I hope Baekhyun is doing well. Did he look happy?”

 

Jongin frowned and sat up straight. “He looked okay. I didn’t look at him too long.” He whispered, taking the remote again from Chanyeol. “And I can count. I can also kick your ass at video games.”

 

“Can not!” Chanyeol gasped.

 

“Watch me.”

 

-

 

Baekhyun’s eyebrows raised when he opened his apartment door that night to see Sehun. “Hey.” Baekhyun said around the toothbrush in his mouth, stepping back to let Sehun in. “Give me a minute.” His voice was muffled as he hurried to the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth.

 

“I got a call from a modeling agency.” Sehun said when Baekhyun walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later. Sehun frowned playfully and pursed his lips. “I would hate to share my muse, but..” He handed the smaller a folder, folding his arms across his chest after. “They’re really interested in you. Apparently, you could pass off as a real model.”

 

Snorting, Baekhyun took the folder and gave it one glimpse before tossing it onto the kitchen counter that was near  the door. His apartment wasn’t too cramped, just small. Perfect enough for him and his paycheck, although he used to share it with his now ex fiance. “Right. I’m not a model.” He shook his head. “I’m only in pictures for you. And anyways, I don’t want to be famous because of how I look.”

 

“Why not? You’re handsome so you should get money for it.” Sehun laughed. He picked the folder up from the counter and handed  it to his friend again, giving him a small smile. “I won’t be offended if you pursue this. It’ll actually get my name out there, too.”

 

“Fine.” Baekhyun sighed as he carried  the folder to the couch and sat down. Opening the folder, he paused. “How do I do this?”

 

Sehun sat next to him and looked over the folder. “You call the number and set up an appointment.” He explained. “Think of it as an interview.”

 

“It’s an interview?”

 

“Sort of.”

 

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Sort of?”

 

Sehun chuckled and flicked Baekhyun’s forehead. “They wanna look at you, Baekhyun. They don’t care where you went to high school and if you graduated with an amazing GPA.”

 

-

 

“They wanna look at you, Baekhyun.” Baekhyun said in a mocking tone the next day as he waited outside to be called into the rather intimidating looking building. It looked like a warehouse- a very clean warehouse. “The hell am I doing here?” He mumbled and stood up, reaching for his car keys before hearing his name being called.

 

Walking in, Baekhyun stood with his hands together in front of him. He approached the man who had called him and cleared his throat. “My name is Baekhyun.” He said, putting a hand out and smiling slightly when the man shook it.

 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Junmyeon.” The man said with a kind smile. He was really handsome. Perfect skin, nice build, and really clean black hair. “I’ll be interviewing you today, and I’ll also be your boss if you impress me.”

 

“How exactly do I _impress_  you?” Baekhyun asked in an unsure tone. It was an odd interview. He didn’t have to bring any paperwork since his photos had already been seen. He assumed Sehun gave them the information that they needed already, including a resume.

 

“Well..” Junmyeon said as he slowly walked in a circle around Baekhyun, looking him up and down. He was intimidating as hell. “You won’t be the type of model that goes on runways just yet. I want to use you for photos and such for a while until you’re really confident.” He explained. “You’ll be on magazine covers and you’ll get your own photobooks.”

 

“You’re gonna _use_ me?” Baekhyun chuckled. “Take me out to dinner first.”

 

Junmyeon laughed loudly and  the tension in the air cleared. “Funny.” He chuckled and led him behind two black doors into a room with a studio containing a white backdrop. “I just want to get some photos of you to see how comfortable you are in front of a camera. That’s all your interview is.” He said, closing the doors. “Don’t worry about makeup and hair just yet.”

 

After a few photos, Baekhyun felt blinded by the camera flash. He rubbed at his eyes. “Are we done?” He asked and stood straight, squinting his eyes to try and see Junmyeon behind the camera. When seeing his hopefully upcoming boss wave him over, he hurried over while being careful not to trip on any wires from the lights.

 

“They’re good.” Junmyeon said, showing Baekhyun all of the pictures he took. He nodded slowly to himself. “You’re good. A natural in front of the camera.” He smiled proudly and turned the camera off. “I’ll give you a call soon. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the flash on the camera.”

 

-

 

“A model?” Kyungsoo shrieked, sitting across from Baekhyun at the coffee shop the next morning before opening. “Seriously? You could be famous?”

 

Baekhyun whined and waved a hand. “Don’t say that.” He chuckled.  “I don’t want to be famous.”. He stayed quiet before sitting up straight and leaning forward. “But if I _do_ become famous, I can hook you up with other celebrities.”

 

Kyungsoo laughed loudly. “I don’t want a celebrity boyfriend, I have my eye on someone.” He said firmly, his cheeks red. “Promise you won’t forget me.”

 

“Shut up. How could I forget you?”

 

“You can’t.”

 

Baekhyun chuckled, getting up and going to turn the open sign on for the shop. He jumped nearly ten feet into the air when the doors opened, Jongin hurrying in.

 

“I’m here for my first day!” Jongin exclaimed, suddenly straightening when he saw Kyungsoo staring at him with his round eyes. “C-Can I get my apron?”

 

Kyungsoo nodded quickly, running behind the counter to get an extra apron. He blushed when Jongin walked across the shop towards him. With red cheeks, Kyungsoo handed the apron to him and swallowed the lump in his throat. “You can just clean today.” He said in a whisper. “I’ll train you on the register tomorrow.”

 

Baekhyun stared between the two with one raised eyebrow. “Alright.” He mumbled. “Hey, Jongin. Didn’t know Kyungsoo hired you.” He said with a neutral voice. He walked behind the counter and pressed his lips together, glancing up at Jongin. “The cleaning supplies are in the back.”

 

“Shit, why so cold?” Kyungsoo whispered to Baekhyun when their new employee went in the back to find the cleaning supplies he needed. “Way to scare him on his first day.”

 

“He’s friends with Chanyeol.”

 

“Oh..”

 

Baekhyun quickly shook his head and gave Kyungsoo a smile. “Don’t worry about it. Jongin was always nice.” He sighed. “I think you should go for it if you like him. Just don’t expect me to tag along on dates if there’s any chance of Chandouche being there.” He said with a burst of laughter. He smiled at Kyungsoo reassuringly, glancing at Jongin when he came back out with cleaning supplies.

 

On his break, Baekhyun went to sit outside at one of the tables in front of the shop. He jumped when his phone started ringing and he rushed to pull it out of his pocket. “Shit.” He whispered, fumbling the phone in his hands before answering. “Hello?”

 

“Baekhyun!” It was Junmyeon. Baekhyun forgot to save his number.

 

“Oh, hey.” Baekhyun smiled widely, straightening up in his seat.

 

Junmyeon chuckled. “Hey.” He responded. There was the sound of papers flipping. “I would be honored to have you as one of my models for the summer. What do you think about that?”

 

“I love that!” Baekhyun gasped, chuckling. “Um.. where do I go from here?”

 

“Well, I’ll e-mail you your schedule.” Junmyeon explained. “If there are any issues, just let me know and we can work something out.”

 

Baekhyun smiled widely. He was a model now, thanks to Sehun. “Okay! Thank you.” He giggled, fighting back a squeal when the two said their goodbyes before hanging up.

 

-

 

“First day?” Another model by the name of Jongdae asked a few nights later. It _was_ Baekhyun’s first day, but he didn’t intend for it to be so obvious.

 

Baekhyun nodded, smiling nervously. He was assigned the makeup and hair chair next to Jongdae, and it was a relief. From what Baekhyun witnessed so far, Jongdae seemed polite and rather easy to get along with, always cracking jokes with the photographers. “Do I look nervous?” He laughed, freezing when the makeup crew came to touch him up.

 

Jongdae grinned widely. The corners of his lips were naturally curled, and it made him look cute. “Just a little.” He laughed. “Loosen up. It’s not like we’re filming a porn video.” He said in an attempt to be reassuring. “We’re gonna be in a shoot together! Isn’t that exciting?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Baekhyun was careful to nod, he didn’t want to get poked in the eye with the eyeliner. “I already did a few shoots by myself. I guess it’ll be more relaxing to be with someone else in front of the camera this time.”

 

“Way to make it sound like a porno.”

 

Baekhyun’s cheeks turned red, and it wasn’t just from the blush being applied to his face. “Shut up.” He chuckled, smiling when he heard Jongdae’s loud laughter. “Any tips or anything?”

 

“Well..” Jongdae pursed his lips and tilted his head from side to side in thought, watching Baekhyun through the mirror. “For the industry in general, it’s always good to have friends.” He suggested. Gasping, he turned in his chair to face Baekhyun. “There’s a party tomorrow night! You should come. We can go together and I can introduce you to a whole bunch of people- not just models.”

 

“Sounds fun.” Baekhyun said after a moment of thinking. In high school and college, he always found parties to be fun- minus the drugs. He was never into drugs. “I haven’t been to a party since college.”

 

Jongdae gasped. “No way! You poor thing.” He whimpered. “Fun isn’t just for college.”

 

 

“Well, I guess you’re right.” Baekhyun mumbled. He blinked repeatedly when the makeup artists moved away, his eyelashes felt heavy. “The hell is this? Mascara?” He asked, leaning closer to the mirror.

 

“Yeah. Never worn makeup before?” Jongdae asked, smiling and getting up from his chair to walk closer to Baekhyun. “You look really good with it! But you look good without it, too. I’m jealous.” He pouted  and grabbed Baekhyun by his hand, pulling him to the studio. “Let's do this!”

 

-

 

The party was _extremely_ different compared to what Baekhyun was used to for one big reason, everyone was famous. _Everyone._ Jongdae informed him that every single person attending was known for something. Actors, musicians, models, everything. Baekhyun immediately went to the bar for a drink, leaving Jongdae to  mingle  by the door with some of his close friends. Leaning against the bar, he inspected the options carefully before ordering. He would only need one drink for liquid courage.

 

“Oh, Chanyeol!” Jongdae squealed when Chanyeol walked into the building. “I have a new friend. I want you to meet him!” He giggled and turned around, pouting when Baekhyun was nowhere to be seen.

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. “Is he invisible?”

 

Jongdae narrowed his eyes. “Don’t be a dick,  he wandered off.” He huffed and looked around carefully for Baekhyun. “He’s a new model at my agency. Short, cute, really nice thighs.”

 

“Sounds oddly familiar.” Chanyeol retorted.

 

“Oh, there he is!”

 

Baekhyun set the glass back on the bar top  after downing the drink, denying a refill from the bar tender. Just one drink for the night. The last thing he needed was to get drunk in a party full of famous strangers. He paused in his tracks when seeing Jongdae gesturing towards him, Chanyeol looking over. _Fuck._ He looked around for a quick escape, pushing past a couple to go down the hall.

 

“Hm.. why did he run off now?” Jongdae mumbled.

 

Chanyeol stood frozen in spot, his eyes wide. “Baekhyun is famous? He’s a model?” He asked, his voice cracking. “What the- excuse me, Jongdae.” He said hurriedly and rushed forward to get to the hall, moving between crowds of people.”Baek!” He called out.

 

Baekhyun whined when he heard the deeper voice calling out for him over the music. He hurried towards a set of glass doors, groaning when they only led him out to a balcony. “Shit.” He ran a hand through his silky hair, turning when hearing the doors open. Chanyeol was there, standing in front of him. His dark brown hair was in its natural curls and his already big eyes were even bigger, his lips were in a slight frown. Fuck him for still being so handsome. Baekhyun could already feel his mouth drying. “What?”

 

“What..” Chanyeol cursed at himself mentally,  he didn’t actually prepare himself for what he was going to say. He never expected to be standing in front of Baekhyun again. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Where’s your girlfriend?” Baekhyun snapped. He rolled his eyes, walking forward to go back inside only to be stopped by Chanyeol’s arm blocking him from the door. “Chanyeol, let me go.”

 

Chanyeol could feel his heart being stabbed as his chest rose and fell with his surprisingly steady breathing. “No.” He said firmly. He looked Baekhyun over intently, his breath hitching when his eyes came in contact with Baekhyun’s. He hated how the smaller was looking at him. Baekhyun used to look at him with such love in his eyes, when he actually had the courage to look at him. Sometimes the smaller man was so shy he couldn’t even make eye contact with Chanyeol. Now there was no love, just hatred. “Baek, please-”

 

Baekhyun’s eyes immediately started to water when Chanyeol said that word. _Please_. “Don’t you fucking dare!” He shouted and stepped back. He didn’t want to be any closer to him. “Where’s your girlfriend?” He asked again.

 

“Baek, she’s not my-”

 

“No shit.” Baekhyun replied quickly and coldly. His voice was like a knife to Chanyeol’s heart. “This is all your fault, Chanyeol. All of it. If you seriously have the balls to be _sad_ right now, remember that it’s your fault.”

 

“Baek-”

 

“If you hadn’t-”

 

“Baekhyun!” Chanyeol was shouting now. He frowned when Baekhyun flinched at his loud voice. Sighing shakily, he chewed on his bottom lip and lowered his voice. “I didn’t want to leave you.” He put a hand up before Baekhyun could yell at him again. “I didn’t. It was the hardest choice I’ve ever made.”

 

“You didn’t have to leave.” Baekhyun said. Tears were streaming down his cheeks now. “Fuck, Yeol. You didn’t have to be such a coward.” He sniffled and wiped his own tears away with his sleeve. “You chose your career over me because you were scared. All I did was support you, and you made the decision to leave me.”

 

Chanyeol frowned. He hated seeing Baekhyun cry, and he hated that he was right.

 

Baekhyun quickly shook his head, laughing weakly at the fact that he let himself cry over Chanyeol right in front of him. “You fucked up, and I’m going to make sure you know damn well that you fucked up.” He spat and shoved past his former fiance to go back into  the club.

 

Searching for Jongdae, Baekhyun sighed shakily and rubbed his eyes with closed fists. “Dae.” He said when he found his new friend, faking a small smile. “I’m gonna call a taxi or something. Thank you for the invitation, though. I really appreciate it.”

 

“Wait, what’s wrong with you?” Jongdae gasped, wiping a tear when it fell from Baekhyun’s eye. “Seriously, I wanna know what’s going on. Did Chanyeol say something? He can be a dick sometimes.”

 

Baekhyun quickly shook his head. “I know he can. Believe me, I know better than anyone.” He said, looking over his shoulder to see Chanyeol walking after him again. He frowned, looking him over one more time before turning back to  Jongdae. “I’ll see you at work or something. Bye, Dae.” He gave Jongdae a quick hug before taking his phone out of his pocket and hurrying out of the front door.

 

Jongdae jabbed Chanyeol’s chest with his index finger before the singer could rush after Baekhyun. “I don’t think he wants to be followed.” He said firmly, smacking his lips together as he glared up at Chanyeol. “What did you do?”

 

“What didn’t I do?” Chanyeol mumbled. He ran a hand through his curly locks and stepped back before rubbing at his forehead in frustration. “It’s a long story. Baekhyun and I go way back.”

 

“Hmm.” Jongdae rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Leave him alone.” He huffed and crossed his arms, walking off to find his friends.

 

-

 

Baekhyun sat in his living room the next day with Sehun and Kyungsoo. He listened to the two of them talk, hugging his knees to his chest and chewing on his bottom lip as he stared out the large window behind the couch opposite from the one he was sitting on. He couldn’t get Chanyeol off of his mind, and he wanted to slap himself for it. He kept thinking about how Chanyeol looked at him last night, with so much want and regret in his eyes.

 

“Baek, you’re freaking me out.” Sehun nudged Baekhyun, pausing when the smaller jumped in surprise from the sudden touch. “You’re never this quiet.”

 

“He saw Chanyeol last night.” Kyungsoo answered.

 

“Oh..” Sehun whispered in understanding.

 

Baekhyun frowned, watching raindrops hit the window. “I did. I shouldn’t be surprised though, it was a celebrity party.” He snorted and turned to look at his friends. He wanted to fake a smile, but he knew they would only be able to see right through it. “I guess that sometimes I forget that he’s famous now.” He added. “Can we not make me the center of attention? Let’s talk about something else.”

 

Sehun frowned and ran a hand through Baekhyun’s hair reassuringly. The smaller had always found it soothing. “If you don’t talk about it then your thoughts will just eat you up.” He whispered. “Please don’t push it away.”

 

“I want to move.” Baekhyun whispered, his voice cracking. He rested his head on Sehun’s shoulder and frowned . “I want to get out of this damn apartment that I shared with Chanyeol. I try not to, but sometimes I look around and still think about him. Every piece of furniture in this house has something to do with that man.” He looked around as he spoke, his eyes watering. “I _hate_ it.”

 

Kyungsoo whined and stood up, straightening his shirt. “You’re gonna be fine, Baek. You’re super cute, and you’re a model now!” He exclaimed and stuck his chin up slightly. “Who needs him? His music sucks anyways.”

 

Sehun’s eyes widened and he put a finger up. “His music.” He whispered. He leaned forward, moving Baekhyun’s head from his shoulder. “Baekhyun, you said every piece of furniture has something to do with Chanyeol. Did he leave some of his music here?”

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips, nodding. “Maybe a couple of sheets.” He shrugged. “What should I do with that?”

 

“Well, you can already sing.” Sehun hinted.

 

“Holy shit.” Kyungsoo gasped. “That’s a good idea.”

 

“What’s a good idea?” Baekhyun whined.

 

“You’re gonna sing one of his unfinished songs and post it on your instagram or something.” Kyungsoo chuckled and grabbed Baekhyun’s hand, pulling him to stand up. “We can sing it together! I’ve always enjoyed singing.” He said, his cheeks pink. “Come on, let’s look.”

 

Sehun smiled widely while watching the video upload hours later to Baekhyun’s instagram. “Shit, you got so many followers and you haven’t even been modeling that long.” He said, grinning. “It’s all thanks to me.”

 

“Don’t get so cocky.” Baekhyun snorted and elbowed Sehun. When the video uploaded, he went to his pictures and looked through ones he took at the studio with Jongdae for fun.

 

“You and Jongdae look super hot in that!” Kyungsoo gasped. “Upload it. Chanyeol will get jealous.” He said, taking the phone from his friend so he could upload the picture on his own.

 

Baekhyun laughed, watching Kyungsoo upload the picture. “Thank you both.” He smiled happily and hugged Sehun’s arm, resting his head back on his shoulder. “You know, I’m supposed to be on some variety show soon. Jongdae will be with me, and Chanyeol is supposedly guesting too.” He scrunched his nose up. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get away from him.”

 

Sehun frowned and quickly shook his head. “Don’t let him know that he’s getting to you.” He said. “Make him eat shit.”

 

And that’s exactly what Baekhyun planned to do.

 

 

-

 

“You look so good naturally.” Jongdae whined while the makeup artists brushed powder on his face before the variety show was scheduled to start. “I’m jealous.”

 

Baekhyun smiled widely. “Don’t be like that! You’re super cute.”

 

Jongdae gasped, grinning. “Thank you.” Furrowing his eyebrows, he cleared his throat. “Can you tell me what happened with you and Chanyeol?” He whispered.

 

“Maybe later?” Baekhyun whispered back, the makeup artists seeming rather interested in their conversation. “We can hang out after this and get ice cream or something.”

 

“Sounds good!”

 

Baekhyun smiled brightly and nodded, sitting down so the makeup artists could do his makeup properly. When he walked onto the set, he took a seat at the round table and fiddled with his fingers. The production crew was setting up, so the most he could do was wait. He froze when Chanyeol walked onto the set, sitting across from him.

 

“Baek, can we talk after this?” Chanyeol asked hesitantly in a quiet voice.

 

“Sorry, do I know you?” Baekhyun asked with one raised eyebrow. “You’re that singer, right? I covered one of your songs.”

 

Chanyeol paused, frowning. “I saw.” He sighed and leaned forward. “Don’t act like you don’t know me.”

 

Baekhyun shook his head, shrugging. “I don’t know who you’ve become. The Chanyeol I thought I knew wouldn’t leave his fiance out of fear.” He said calmly. “But people can surprise you, I guess.”

 

“Baek, be careful what you say-”

 

“I’m not scared.” Baekhyun snapped.

 

Chanyeol leaned back in his seat and frowned sadly. “Okay.” He whispered. He sighed and folded one leg over the other, watching Baekhyun shift to get comfortable. “Please just let me talk to you after this. That’s all I ask.” He begged with a gentle voice. “You can slap me if it makes you feel better. Just-”

 

“Fine.”

 

“What, really?”

 

Baekhyun looked Chanyeol over. “Yeah, really.” He mumbled and reached up to touch his styled black hair. It was styled to look messy, but not as if he was rolling around in a ditch for hours. It looked like it always did when he woke up next to Chanyeol in the morning after a night full of sex. “Whatever will make you leave me alone for good.”

 

“Okay.” Chanyeol nodded. He knew Baekhyun still hated his guts, and that was obvious. He just thought that the way Baekhyun was looking at him was a bit of an improvement.

 

Throughout the show, it was rather obvious that Baekhyun would have  nothing to do with Chanyeol. Chanyeol did his best to lighten the atmosphere with jokes, but  whenever he looked at Baekhyun to see if he was laughing, Baekhyun barely had any reaction except for a subtle roll of his eyes. Thanks to Jongdae, Baekhyun would actually laugh. Chanyeol felt his heart skip a beat every time he saw Baekhyun’s lips pull back into the bright smile he cherished so much. He missed him.

 

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol called out before Baekhyun could leave once the show ended. He gently grabbed his arm, frowning at how quickly the much shorter man pulled away from him.

 

Baekhyun turned to face him, swallowing the lump in his throat. “Can we make this quick? I told Jongdae we would get ice cream.” He said and looked Chanyeol over. _Shit, he looks good_. “But before you start, I don’t want to hear any apologies.”

 

Chanyeol nodded quickly. “I’m-” He quickly stopped himself and chuckled awkwardly, ruffling his own hair. “No apologies.” He cleared his throat. “I fucked up, Baek. I fucked up so bad.”

 

“I know.”

 

Chanyeol pouted and crossed his arms. “I shouldn’t have left you. I’ve known that and-”

 

“Was it worth it?”

 

“What?”

 

“Was it worth it? Leaving me for this career of yours?”

 

“God, no!” Chanyeol groaned. “Of course it wasn’t worth it. What kind of question is that?” He sighed and ran a hand over his face, frowning as he stared down at Baekhyun. He wanted nothing more than to move that dumb strand of hair behind Baekhyun’s ear and plant a kiss on his small, naturally pouty lips. “I wish I wasn’t such a coward.”

 

Baekhyun nodded slowly, returning the stare back up at Chanyeol. He took in a shaky breath, watching as Chanyeol’s eyes every so often drifted down to his lips. “I wish you weren’t either.” He whispered. “Things would have been much better. Not easier, but better.”

 

“Do you still live in that apartment?”

 

Baekhyun smiled slightly. Chanyeol grinned. “Yeah.” Baekhyun chuckled rather sadly. “I do.”

 

Chanyeol moved a bit closer, and he only stopped when Baekhyun stepped back.

 

“I need to go.” Baekhyun whispered and looked around. “You should probably go see your girlfriend anyway. The press needs more pictures of you two together.” He mumbled with a bitter tone, looking over his ex fiance before turning to walk towards Jongdae.

 

-

 

Baekhyun sat across from Jongdae at a small ice cream shop, licking his vanilla ice cream off of his spoon. “I wish I could tell you all about me and Chanyeol.” He sighed. “But it’s not my place to tell. It would be wrong.” He mumbled and scrunched his nose up.

 

“Well, that’s okay, I guess.” Jongdae shrugged. He smiled slightly and stole a bite of Baekhyun’s ice cream, laughing when the other pouted. “You don’t have to tell me. Just let me know when he’s bothering you and I’ll kick his ass.”

 

“Will do.” Baekhyun laughed loudly and stole a spoonful of Jongdae’s strawberry ice cream in return. “Is there another party coming up?”

 

Jongdae looked around in thought, puffing his cheeks out just slightly. “Yeah, actually.” He nodded and ate a strawberry off of his ice cream. “This weekend there’s a party that should be even bigger than the last one. You wanna go?”

 

Baekhyun nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I do.” He giggled. “I didn’t get to enjoy the last one properly, so I wanna have fun and maybe drink a bit more.”

 

“Sounds good!” Jongdae squealed in excitement and wiggled around in his seat. He was always so energetic. “It’ll be fun.”

 

-

 

Chanyeol groaned and threw his phone at a pillow before running a hand over his face, his leg bouncing  up and down. “Why the fuck did he have to become a model, of all things?” He asked Jongin, who was immersed in a video game. “Now he has to pose with all these other m-” He sighed.

 

“Men? Oh, look who’s owning up to their sexuality.” Jongin snorted, gasping when Chanyeol took the controller.

 

“He could at least be fully clothed in some of these pictures. His chest is so exposed.” Chanyeol picked up his phone to continue torturing himself with some of Baekhyun’s pictures, tossing the controller to the side. He sighed and moved to lay down on the couch, scrunching his nose as he looked at the pictures. “The pictures with Jongdae..” He mumbled. “Why are they so close?”

 

Jongin hummed in thought. “Two handsome gay men-”

 

“Shut up!” Chanyeol shrieked and sat up, glaring at Jongin. “I don’t need to imagine that. He can do whatever he wants, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy seeing it.”

 

“Then why the hell are you looking willingly?”

 

“Good question.”

 

Jongin laughed loudly and stood up, grabbing his phone off of the coffee table. “Have you even slept with anyone since you broke up?”

 

Chanyeol frowned. At the parties he always attended along with other celebrities, he had the chance to hook up with multiple people. Even dancing with someone made him seem like a cheater, even though he no longer had ties with Baekhyun. “No.”

 

“Baekhyun probably has.”

 

Just the thought of someone touching Baekhyun like Chanyeol once had made the musician’s heart drop. “Shut up.” He mumbled.

 

“You need to let yourself think about these things.” Jongin said, sighing as he looked at his best friend. “I know it sucks, but you’ll only torture yourself more if you try and censor out certain thoughts. He has the right to move on just as much as you do.” He shrugged. Grinning, he ruffled Chanyeol’s hair. “I beat you at this game. You owe me lunch!” He laughed loudly and ran to the door. “I have a date tonight. See ya!”

 

Chanyeol reached up to fix his already messy hair after Jongin ruffled it. “You beat me because my fucking controller died!” He shouted, laughing. “Whatever. Have fun.” He waved a hand lazily as the door shut. He picked up his phone, texting one of his friends to make sure the party that weekend was still set to happen.

 

-

 

Baekhyun walked into the party on Jongdae’s arm. He allowed Jongdae to give him a makeover, which included ‘natural’ smudged eyeliner and some style to his hair. He didn’t dress over the top for the party, his outfit including black ripped jeans and a white t-shirt. “I feel underdressed.” He whispered to Jongdae.

 

“You look great!” Jongdae laughed and stood in front of Baekhyun, playing with his hair to admire the masterpiece. “You don’t wanna dress up too much for these things. You’ll look like a try hard. Besides, you look like a complete boyfriend with this look.” He nodded.

 

“A boyfriend?” Baekhyun mumbled. “I didn’t know that was a style.” He chuckled, looking around. “You were right. This is bigger than the last party.” He acknowledged. There were a lot more people this time, and there was more room for people to grind on each other. “I like it.”

 

Jongdae smiled widely, bouncing on his feet. “You’ll have fun! I’m gonna meet up with some friends. Go mingle.” He giggled and playfully pushed Baekhyun into the crowd of people.

 

Baekhyun squeaked out when being pushed. He had always said the best way to teach a kid how to swim was to push them in the pool. “Okay.” He whispered and made his way between the people, heading towards  the bar to order himself a drink.

Once he got the drink and chugged it down, he wished he asked Kyungsoo to tag along and pretend to be famous or something. After downing a few more drinks, Baekhyun walked out to the crowd. He was relieved to see Jongdae, and he hurried over to him before he started dancing. The club lights shadowing through the room were enough to make him feel more confident and less like an idiot.

 

Baekhyun had been dancing for nearly half an hour, swaying his hips to the beat before he felt someone’s hands gripping onto them. He grinned to himself and tilted his head back, blushing when he felt it land on someone’s shoulder. He lifted a hand and placed it on the stranger’s hair as he grinded back against them, gently giving their hair a tug. _Who the-_ Baekhyun turned around to face the stranger he was dancing against. “Chanyeol.” He whispered. He looked over his former fiance, sweat glistening on his forehead and his large hands still keeping their firm hold on Baekhyun’s wide hips.

 

“Just keep dancing.” Chanyeol told him through the music, leaning down and resting his forehead against Baekhyun’s shoulder as he pulled his hips against his own. He sighed shakily, the two grinding against each other in beat with the loud music blasting throughout the room. “Fuck.” He whispered and pressed small kisses against Baekhyun’s soft neck, moving his hands into Baekhyun’s back pockets.

 

“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun whispered. He was nearly whimpering as he felt heated kisses on his neck and large hands going down into the tight back pockets of his jeans. “Chanyeol, look at me.” He begged. When Chanyeol lifted his head from the other’s  neck, the smaller didn’t hesitate to press his lips against the taller’s. Their lips moved together in a heated rhythm and their tongues brushed each other, Baekhyun’s delicate fingers tangled in Chanyeol’s curly hair. They missed each other, and it was obvious.

 

It wasn’t long until the two were climbing into the back of a taxi, Baekhyun mumbling his address to the driver between kisses. He crawled onto Chanyeol’s lap and straddled him , cupping his cheeks in his hands. “I missed you.” He whispered and met him in the middle for another heated kiss. Chanyeol’s hands were traveling up the back of the model’s shirt, rubbing his back before moving down to squeeze his ass.

 

“Fuck, I missed you too.” Chanyeol chuckled breathlessly. “Drive fast, please.” He told the driver, groaning as Baekhyun slowly grinded against him.

 

Baekhyun wasted no time when the two reached the apartment they had once shared. His back hit the bed, and he was already nearly completely undressed as Chanyeol hovered over him. “Take your clothes off.” He whispered, giggling while watching Chanyeol sit up on his knees to pull his shirt off. Baekhyun ran his hands down the singer’s toned chest and stomach, leaning up to press his lips against his. After undoing Chanyeol’s belt, he tossed it onto the floor.

 

“Do you have-”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Chanyeol hesitated, lifting himself up slightly so he could look down at Baekhyun, taking in his disheveled appearance. “Why?”

 

Baekhyun’s cheeks reddened. “Why do you think?” He whispered and reached between the two to unzip his own pants. “Just get these damn things off of me.” He whined.

 

“You’ve been with other people?” Chanyeol asked while tugging Baekhyun’s tight jeans off. After they hit the floor, he immediately worked at getting his own pants off. “Baek?”

 

“Chanyeol, can we not talk about that _right now_?” Baekhyun whimpered, pulling Chanyeol down against him once more and smiling widely. He gave Chanyeol’s plump lips an innocent peck before locking his own against them, running his fingers through his curly hair. “Please.” He whispered when pulling away to catch his breath.

 

Chanyeol grinned widely. “You know I love it when you beg.”

 

“Shut up. Just fuck me before you lose your chance.”

 

-

 

Baekhyun was woken up by the sunlight peering into his room through sheer white curtains. He opened his eyes, yawning loudly and pausing when feeling an arm draped around his waist. He was tangled up in sheets, and his lower back felt sore. “Chanyeol?” He whispered when rolling onto his side to face Chanyeol, smiling to himself while running a hand through the dark curly locks. “Wake up.”

 

“No.” Chanyeol muttered. His voice was always deeper than usual in the morning, and it was one of Baekhyun’s favorite things about waking up. He pulled Baekhyun closer and wrapped his free arm under and around the smaller’s neck, burying his face in his soft black hair. “Wanna make me breakfast?”

 

It was like it used to be. They would wake up next to each other every morning, and Chanyeol always nagged Baekhyun to buy curtains that could block the sunlight out so they could sleep in later. Baekhyun would roll his eyes and tell him that sleeping in too late was unhealthy.

 

“For a minute, I forgot how much of an ass you are.” Baekhyun whispered, laughing and squealing when he felt Chanyeol grab his waist in an attempt to tickle him. “Okay, okay. I’ll make breakfast.” He wiggled out of Chanyeol’s hold, sitting up in bed and reaching over the side to grab Chanyeol’s shirt off the floor, pulling it over his head. “What do you want?” He asked, stepping into a pair of boxers and pulling them up.

 

“Pancakes with a side of Byun Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun scrunched his nose up. “I’m just a side? That’s all I’m worth?” He huffed, reaching onto the bed and slapping Chanyeol’s side. “You’ll get pancakes and that’s it.” He chuckled and walked happily to the kitchen, trying to fix his messy hair on the way. As he got out the pancake mix and pans, he jumped up when hearing Chanyeol’s deep voice. He wasn’t used to it anymore.

 

“Let me cook. I change my mind.” Chanyeol said, one half of his lips spread into a half grin.  He was clothed now- surprisingly. Usually he wouldn’t care if he was naked or not when walking around the small apartment. “You always cooked for me in the morning. It’s my turn.” He whispered and walked closer to Baekhyun, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on his forehead.  “You look cute in my shirt.”

 

Baekhyun bursted into a fit of giggles, his cheeks turning dark red from the affection he was being given from the man who used to give it to him every second of the day. “Okay.” He whispered, and Chanyeol was smiling from ear to ear now at the sight of Baekhyun once again being unable to meet his gaze. Baekhyun could only glance up at him, smiling as he walked to the couch. “Just don’t burn the kitchen down.”

 

“I won’t!” Chanyeol huffed. “I’m a professional chef. The other chefs are shaking.”

 

“Right.” Baekhyun shook his head, curling up on the couch and pulling a blanket up over his legs. He grabbed his phone off the pillow, blushing when remembering the hurry he was in the night before to just toss the phone out of the way so he could get his clothes off. He raised his eyebrows, going through unread texts from Jongdae.

 

_11:54 P.M._

_I saw you with Chanyeol! You guys were getting it on ;)_

 

_12:00 A.M._

_He’s gay tho? Bi?  Didn’t know that_

 

_12:39 A.M._

_I’ll cover for you at work tomorrow! Have fun_

 

Baekhyun cleared his throat. “Yeol..” He was scared to tell Chanyeol that Jongdae saw everything. Not only Jongdae, but probably multiple people.

 

“Yeah?” Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun over his shoulder, smiling happily. “The pancakes will be done soon. Don’t rush the chef.”

 

“Jongdae saw us.” He said, biting his bottom lip. “Other people probably did, too.”

 

Chanyeol paused, and Baekhyun noticed the way he froze for a moment. “O-Oh.” Chanyeol sighed and shook his head, flipping the pancakes. “You wanna tell him?” He asked, knowing he couldn’t afford to fuck up anymore. “Do it. Just him, though.”

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips. “I can tell him?” He was rather surprised, to say the least. “What about the other people who saw us? They’ll start asking. They all think you have a girlfriend.”

 

“If they say anything and it gets out, my manager will just want me to get ‘caught’ in public with her again.” Chanyeol carried the plates to the couch, sitting next to Baekhyun and putting his plate of pancakes in front of him. He frowned when seeing the look on Baekhyun’s face, kissing his cheek. “You know it’s all fake.”

 

“That doesn’t mean it’s right.” Baekhyun mumbled. He picked at the pancakes with his fork before letting out a loud sigh and turning to face Chanyeol, his eyeliner still smudged around his droopy eyes. “Don’t fuck up again.” He said flatly. “This time, you don’t have to choose between me and your career.” He looked Chanyeol over carefully as he spoke, studying his expression. “You can have both if you just-”

 

Chanyeol shook his head and pecked Baekhyun’s lips. “I just need time. Okay?” He whispered. “Just give me that. I’ll do you right with time.”

 

“You promise?”

 

“I promise.” Chanyeol nodded.

 

“Okay.” Baekhyun smiled slightly before huffing and playfully scrunching up his nose. “This doesn’t mean we’re back together, though.” He shoved pancakes into his mouth and leaned back against the couch cushions, grinning to himself as he knew the look that Chanyeol had on his face. “So you can get your things and leave after you finish eating.”

 

“What-”

 

“You heard me.”

 

“Byun Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun looked over at Chanyeol, blinking, his cheeks stuffed with pancakes. “I’ll need this shirt, though.”

 

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes and put his plate down on the coffee table, leaning closer to Baekhyun. He smirked when Baekhyun looked away as soon as he stared into his eyes. “I’m not leaving.” He said firmly. He barely brushed his lips against the model’s before chuckling and sitting back up, taking his own plate off of the table.

 

Baekhyun’s eyes widened when Chanyeol had all the nerve in the world to pull away after being not even inches away from kissing him. “Fine!” He shrieked, mumbling some curses under his breath as he took another bite of his pancakes. “But you have to leave tonight. You aren’t staying over again.”

 

Baekhyun spent the whole day reminding Chanyeol that he definitely was _not_ spending the night again. The two ended up cuddled next to each other in bed an hour past the time Chanyeol was supposed to leave, their lips moving together slowly as their legs intertwined under the sheets.

 

“I missed everything about this.” Chanyeol whispered, rubbing Baekhyun’s waist soothingly as he listened to rain beat on the window. “Even your damn coffee breath in the morning.”

 

“Mhm. I would’ve missed it too.” Baekhyun retorted with a playful smile. He laughed, burying his face in Chanyeol’s chest after giving him one more kiss, his short arms wrapping around his waist. “You know I hate to admit that I’ve been lonely in this damn apartment, but I have.” He sighed. “Kyungsoo is gonna kill me for allowing you to walk back in here.”

 

Chanyeol laughed loudly and held Baekhyun close. He held him tight, smiling to himself as he hid his face in Baekhyun’s hair. “You pulled me in here, Baek. You didn’t just let me walk in.” He joked, chuckling when earning a slap on the chest from Baekhyun. “Let's get some sleep before we get carried away again.”

 

“You’re a pervert.”

 

“I’m your favorite pervert, sweetheart.”

 

-

 

Baekhyun walked into the coffee shop the next morning after dropping Chanyeol off at his apartment. “Kyungsoo?” He called out, smiling when Kyungsoo walked out from the back. “Hey!” He squealed and ran to him, pulling him into a quick hug. “How is everything here?”

 

Kyungsoo smiled widely and returned Baekhyun’s hug. Baekhyun always told Kyungsoo how cute his smile was, his lips forming a heart. “It’s good. Everyone knows that it’s your shop, so we’re getting more business than usual. Our new employees are great, too.”

 

“That’s great to hear.” Baekhyun took Kyungsoo’s hand and pulled him to a booth, sitting down across from him. “I have something to tell you.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Baekhyun sighed, putting his hands up on the table and fiddling with his fingers nervously. He was expecting Kyungsoo to kick his ass. “Chanyeol and I had sex.”

 

Kyungsoo stared at Baekhyun, blinking just once.

 

“Twice.”

 

“Are you an idiot?” Kyungsoo shrieked, reaching across the table to slap Baekhyun upside the head. “You slept with the guy who broke up your engagement solely because he was scared to be seen with you as a celebrity? Do you think he’s gonna change?”

 

Baekhyun frowned. “I don’t think he’ll change overnight. He’s already letting me tell Jongdae about us.”

 

Kyungsoo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, leaning back as he stared at his best friend. “Fine.” He said. “But if he keeps doing the same shit, you can’t shed a tear.”

 

“Right.” Baekhyun nodded. Wanting to change the subject, he smiled slightly. “How are you and Jongin?”

 

“We’re good.” Kyungsoo’s cheeks were turning red. “We’ll be going on our second date tonight, actually.” He whispered before bursting into shy laughter.

 

Baekhyun laughed, standing up and ruffling Kyungsoo’s hair before checking the time on his phone. “Keep me updated, okay? I need to get going.” He said, adjusting the black hat on his head and putting on a pair of sunglasses. “Text me.” He chuckled and gave Kyungsoo a wave, heading out of the shop.

 

-

 

The makeup artists were mumbling things to each other silently as they tried to cover up the faint hickeys on Baekhyun’s neck. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, glancing between the two girls. “I can do it myself.” He said and took the makeup and brush from one of the girls, watching them walk away while continuing to whisper. He rolled his eyes, leaning closer to the mirror and pursing his lips as he focused on covering the red marks.

 

“So?” Jongdae sat next to Baekhyun, grinning widely. “Tell me everything.” He said, reaching over to close the door to prevent anyone from hearing whatever his friend had to say.

 

Baekhyun glanced over at Jongdae. “Long story short..” He sighed and put the makeup down next to the brush, turning in his chair to face the other. “Chanyeol and I used to be engaged. We had known each other since freshman year of high school, and we started dating our senior year. He proposed senior year of college.” He smiled slightly. “When he got signed into a company, he realized that he was scared to be out as a gay celebrity, so he left me.”

 

As he explained it, he realized all over again just how shitty it sounded. He shook his head, sighing. “I would have rather been a secret.”

 

Jongdae frowned while listening to the story. “So the other night?”

 

“We hooked up. I wish I could blame the drinks.”

 

“Sounds complicated if you ask me.” Jongdae laughed. “So you trust him again? He’s still staged with that girl.”

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips. “Of course I don’t trust him.” He scrunched his nose up. “Just because he slept with me and acted like everything was back to normal doesn’t mean that it actually _is_ back to normal. I’m not gullible.” He snorted. “He’ll have to do a lot more than that to get me to trust him again.”

 

Jongdae nodded, a wide smile on his face. “You’re strong.” He whispered. “Oh! I forgot to tell you. Junmyeon wants to talk to you about something.” He said a bit shyly. Jongdae and Junmyeon were rumored to be a thing, and Baekhyun believed it based off of his observations on how much time the two spent alone together in Junmyeon’s office.

 

_Great._

 

Baekhyun walked into Junmyeon’s office after taking his first session of photos, clearing his throat. “You wanted to see me?” He asked unsurely with one raised eyebrow.

 

“Yeah.” Junmyeon stood up and smiled. He furrowed his eyebrows when noticing Baekhyun’s stance. “Relax. You aren’t in trouble.” He snorted and shook his head. “I was speaking with Chanyeol’s manager. We agreed that you should appear together more on shows and such. Fans like you two together.”

 

Baekhyun couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The only time he was on a show with Chanyeol was when he treated him like pure shit. “Seriously?” He snorted. “I was an ass to him.”

 

“Well, people seemed to like it.”

 

“Okay, cool.” Baekhyun laughed more and shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “Just to make it even better for you and his manager, I’ll try to hang out with Chanyeol publicly. How does that sound?”

 

Junmyeon smiled. “You’re good at this.”

 

Baekhyun didn’t know his sarcasm was that easy to catch. He knew better than anyone how fake the industry could be when it came to relationships and friendships, but he didn’t expect to be thrown into it. Although, he promised to comply.

 

-

 

That night, Chanyeol drove Baekhyun to the mall after the two discussed what their managers had to say. Faking being friends wouldn’t be that hard since they weren’t faking that much, afterall. They had to pretend to be friends while forgetting about the fact that they were once in love, and recently having slept together.

 

“Where do you wanna go first?” Chanyeol asked, looking through his wallet before shoving it back into his pocket. “Candy? You usually start with candy.” He snorted and looked around, some people already recognizing them. Part of him felt relieved that he could be in public with Baekhyun.

 

Baekhyun smiled widely while watching Chanyeol look through his wallet, his puppy eyes making crescent shapes as he let out a low chuckle. “You’re paying? Then I’m gonna pick the most expensive candy there is.” He snorted and glanced around at the cameras being pulled out. He cleared his throat, putting his hands in the pockets of his cardigan and walking to the candy store with Chanyeol. “What are you gonna do about you and your girlfriend?”

 

“I wanna break it all up, but that isn’t up to me.” Chanyeol said while looking at chocolate options with Baekhyun, careful that no one could hear their conversation. “If I were to post on any social media that it was all fake, my company would act really fast to say that I was hacked or something.” He snorted. “She’s not straight either, you know. She has a girlfriend.”

 

Baekhyun’s eyes widened and he looked up at Chanyeol. “Seriously?” He whispered. “Is her girlfriend’s name Sejeong?”

 

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. “How did you know?”

 

“I met her. Sejeong came to the coffee shop and went off on a reporter.” Baekhyun laughed loudly and picked up a bar of dark chocolate, fans outside the shop taking as many pictures as they could of the two. “She’s really nice. It’s sad that it has to be like that.”

 

Chanyeol nodded. “It is sad. I wish I could be with you openly.” He was leaning down to whisper in Baekhyun’s ear, and he smiled when seeing the smaller’s cheeks turn red. “I wish I could hold your hand and kiss you.”

 

Baekhyun whined and gently pushed Chanyeol away. “I told you we’re not together. Don’t confuse this whole thing as a date.” He said, giving the taller a smile before putting the candies he chose on the counter. He smiled to himself while watching Chanyeol take out his wallet to pay for it all. “I’ll share one chocolate bar with you. Just one.”

 

 

“Were you with other people?” Chanyeol asked Baekhyun quietly as they shared a chocolate bar, the two sitting together by the fountain in the center of the mall. He didn’t really want to know, but the curiosity was killing him.

 

Baekhyun glanced up at Chanyeol, frowning slightly. “Yeah.” He whispered. “Just one person, though. We only dated for a few months.”  

 

Chanyeol sighed heavily and nodded. He ate the last bite of his half of the chocolate, leaning back on the bench they were sitting on and wrapping an arm loosely around Baekhyun’s shoulders. “You had every right to move on. Can I ask why you broke up?”

 

“It just wasn’t working out.” Baekhyun shrugged. “He was only here for a year, and sadly I met him during his last four months of being here.” He laughed, rolling his eyes. “My luck, right?”

 

“If you don’t want to be with me again..” Chanyeol’s heart sunk just at the thought, although he wouldn’t blame Baekhyun if he made that decision. “I hope you find someone who treats you better than I did. And I hope they don’t have to leave the country.”

 

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, smiling as he glanced down at his lips. “I hope so too.” He laughed and gave the taller the rest of his chocolate before standing up. “Can we leave now? These cameras are becoming overwhelming.”

 

The two went back to Chanyeol’s apartment after, and Baekhyun was wide-eyed as he walked around, giving himself a tour. “This place is so much nicer than mine.” He laughed, hurrying over to one of the large windows to stare out at the view of the city. “You’re lucky.”

 

“It gets boring here. Big apartments get lonely.” Chanyeol said, smiling in adoration as he watched Baekhyun stare out the window in awe. “I miss our apartment. It was small, but cute and homey.” He stepped out of his shoes and walked to the couch, sitting down and picking up his phone. “You wanna order a pizza?”

 

“Yeah, as long as we can agree on a topping for once.” Baekhyun chuckled. The two always argued over plain cheese or pepperoni. “Let’s do half and half, yeah? That way we can save an argument.” He leaned against the window, smiling as he looked at the city lights.

 

“Sure.” Chanyeol snorted, shaking his head. After ordering the pizza, he moved to lay down on the couch, his long legs spread out straight. “Oh, shit.” He mumbled when getting a phone call from his manager, his eyebrows furrowing as he answered. “Hello?”

 

“Chanyeol, what the fuck were you thinking?” His manager spat over the phone. “There are pictures circulating everywhere of you making out with that male model in Junmyeon’s agency! At a party and in a taxi.”

 

Chanyeol sat up, his eyes wide. “What?”

 

His manager sighed loudly. “I’ll send you links. If anyone asks you anything, you are to deny it, got it? This will die down.”

 

Before Chanyeol could respond, he was met with a beeping noise from his phone, his manager having hung up. He immediately opened the link to an article once it was sent to him, chewing nervously on his bottom lip while scrolling through it. “Shit, shit, shit.”

 

Baekhyun ran a hand through Chanyeol’s hair and sat down on his lap hesitantly, frowning. “What’s going on?” He asked, concerned.

 

“We got caught.”

 

“What?”

 

Chanyeol handed his phone to Baekhyun, hiding his face in his hands after and groaning loudly.

 

Baekhyun scrolled through the article, looking over the pictures that were taken. “And?” He mumbled. He looked at Chanyeol with one raised eyebrow. “Oh.. right. You don’t want anything to be confirmed.” He whispered, sounding disappointed. “You’re gonna deny it, aren’t you? How can you deny this, Chanyeol?”

 

“Baek, please-”

 

Baekhyun shook his head and tossed Chanyeol’s phone at him after standing back up.  He hurried to the door, leaning down to put his shoes back on. “Forget it. I’m going home.” He whispered, sniffling and rubbing at his eyes. “Kyungsoo was right.” He hurried out the door and took his phone out of his pocket to call a taxi. He walked out to the parking lot after getting out of the elevator, covering his face when he was met with camera flashes.

 

“Shit.” Baekhyun looked around with squinted eyes and  hurried back into the elevator, closing the doors before any paparazzi could follow him in. He pressed the button to take him up to the roof, knowing he would rather be shit on by a bird than be close to Chanyeol. He slid down to the floor while the elevator lifted him up, his fingers shaking as he texted Sehun.

 

 _Pls come pick me up._  Baekhyun texted shakily. _I’ll send you my location but I’m on the roof. Long story._

 

_-_

 

It didn’t take long for Sehun to come and get him. The two sat silently in Sehun’s car in the parking lot of Baekhyun’s apartment building. “Can I ask what happened?” Sehun whispered, breaking the silence.

 

Baekhyun shook his head. “I was just an idiot. You’ll be seeing it in the news soon.” He whispered, wiping his tears away as soon as they fell. “I’m gonna go in now. Thanks for driving me-”

 

“You shouldn’t be alone right now.” Sehun interrupted with a frown. “Let me stay the night or something. I don’t mind.”

 

“N-No, really. I want to be alone.” Baekhyun gave Sehun a reassuring smile, his lips shaking slightly as was fighting back more tears. He hated crying in front of Sehun. “Thank you. I’ll text you in the morning.” He was already getting out of the car as he spoke, in a rush to get inside and cry to himself.

 

Sehun sighed. “Okay, fine. “ He smiled slightly at Baekhyun, watching him go inside before sighing and pulling out of the parking spot he was in **.**

 

Baekhyun ended up curled up in his bed, the blankets up to his chin as he scrolled through the multiple articles that were meant to expose his relationship with Chanyeol. He sniffled, going down to the comments.

 

_[+40][-200]  But what about his gf? How does she feel?_

_[+300][-2] They would be so cute! Confirm this pls chanbaek 4 lyfe_

_[+180][-60] Why can’t he date me instead :(_

_[+400][-0] Leave them alone.. Who cares who they’re dating_

 

“They have no idea.” Baekhyun whispered to himself, sighing. He turned his phone off incase Chanyeol tried to call him and apologize, scrunching his nose as he put it down on the bedside table. He rubbed his eyes before curling up into a ball, sighing.

 

-

 

Chanyeol silently watched Jongin play video games in his living room a night later, his calls to Baekhyun having been ignored. “I don’t know what to do.” He mumbled. “My manager told me to ignore everything, but if I do that then it’ll piss Baekhyun off. I’ll be doing the same thing I did before.”

 

Jongin paused the game, putting the controller down on his lap. “I don’t think you should stay quiet about it forever.” He said. “Just let it die down. Then you can choose what to do, unless your company takes over again.” He suggested, sitting next to Chanyeol on the couch and patting his back. “Don’t worry so much.”

“It’s hard not to worry.” Chanyeol laughed. He jumped slightly when his phone started to ring, his eyes widening as he looked at the screen and hoped to see Baekhyun’s number. “It’s an unknown number.” He said with disappointment, hesitantly answering. “Hello?”

 

“Is this Park Chanyeol?” The voice asked. “We’d like to bring you in for an interview concerning-”

 

Chanyeol hung up immediately, putting his phone down. “I need to change my number.”

 

Jongin frowned, gasping when his own phone began ringing. “Oh, shit. It’s Kyungsoo.” He glanced at Chanyeol and grinned widely, his cheeks red as he stood and ran out of the apartment to answer the phone.

 

“He’s so whipped.” Chanyeol said to himself. He stared unsurely at his phone before hesitantly picking it back up. He chewed on his bottom lip, opening links to pages his manager sent him.

 

_Idol Park Chanyeol staying silent as rumors emerge of him being in a gay relationship with model Byun Baekhyun._

 

Shaking his head, he closed the page and went to Baekhyun’s instagram. He was still posting cute pictures of himself, not caring about what people were saying in the comments. Chanyeol smiled, taking a deep breath before liking the model’s most recent picture. He knew fans would see what he did, and he didn’t think it could make anything worse than it already was.

 

-

 

“He just liked my picture.” Baekhyun said to Kyungsoo. “Does he not know that people can see that?”

 

Sehun looked at the two, reaching over and stealing a slice of pizza from the open box on the floor between the three of them. “Maybe he did it on accident.” He snorted. “Or maybe he’s finally not giving a shit. Have you talked to him?”

 

“No.” Baekhyun shook his head, leaning back against his couch and hugging his knees to his chest. “I know he’s scared. I understand that now.” He sighed. “He doesn’t have to come out to the world, I’m just not ready to be a secret.”

 

Kyungsoo nodded. “That’s understandable. You shouldn’t have to be hidden.”

 

Baekhyun turned completely to look at his two friends, his eyes wide. “You guys have no idea how fucked up everything is in this industry. Junmyeon was _telling me_ to hang out with Chanyeol because it benefited the companies.” He said and took a bite out of his cheese pizza. “If Chanyeol were to try and do anything to go against his company on social media, his manager would say that he was hacked.” He scrunched up his nose, shaking his head. “It’s so wrong.”

 

The two nodded while listening. “That’s fucked up.” Sehun whispered. “What if they make Chanyeol marry his fake girlfriend now?”

 

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s comforting of you to say right now.”

 

“I don’t think they would go that far.” Baekhyun said. He sat silently for a moment. “Would they? They can’t force a marriage. Is that illegal?”

 

“Don’t think about it!” Kyungsoo whined, glaring at Sehun. “Baek, I have to go soon. I called Jongin a few minutes ago and he wants to meet up at a diner. Is that okay?”

 

Baekhyun smiled widely, laughing and pulling Kyungsoo into a side hug. “Of course it is!” He screeched, ignoring Kyungsoo’s grumbles for him to let him go. “Have fun. Use protection-”

 

Kyungsoo shrieked, standing up and picking up his car keys. “Bye!” He squeaked, running out of the apartment before anyone could say anything about how red his face was.

 

“They’re gonna fuck.”

 

Sehun left soon after Kyungsoo, saying that he had to meet up with someone as well. He wouldn’t say who and why, because he didn’t want to deal with Baekhyun’s endless nagging and teasing.

 

-

 

Baekhyun paced back and forth in front of Chanyeol’s front door, sighing loudly. “Why are you doing this?” He asked himself, running a hand through his black hair before standing straight in front of the door, swallowing a lump in his throat as he raised a hand and knocked. “Shit.” He wanted to leave at that moment.

 

Chanyeol opened the door after a minute or two, his eyes wide. “Baek? I thought you didn’t want to talk to me.” He said. “It’s so late. What are you-” He was interrupted by Baekhyun standing on his toes so he could press a gentle but brief kiss to his lips.

 

“I’m sorry.” Baekhyun whispered when pulling away, smiling shyly as he leaned off of his toes. “I shouldn’t have been so rude. If you aren’t ready to tell everyone about us and who you are, that’s your choice.” He nodded.

 

“Baek-”

 

“No, really.” Baekhyun shook his head. “I’m not saying that everything you did and the way you went about it all is okay, but I should have been more understanding.” He smiled, chuckling at the still shocked expression on Chanyeol’s face. “Can I come in?”

 

Chanyeol nodded, immediately stepping to the side to let Baekhyun in. He was wearing an oversized shirt, and damn he looked so cute. Smiling, the taller leaned down and picked Baekhyun up, chuckling when he squealed. Wrapping Baekhyun’s legs around his waist, he gently kissed his nose and carried him to the bedroom.

 

“Yeol, I don’t want to have sex right now!” Baekhyun shrieked, holding onto Chanyeol as if his life depended on it.

 

“We aren’t gonna have sex!” Chanyeol laughed loudly, gently putting the model on the bed before sitting next to him and pulling him close to his side, kissing his cheek. “I want to do something for the both of us.” He said, using his hand that wasn’t on Baekhyun’s waist to take out his phone.

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips. “What are you doing? I told you that if you aren’t ready then it’s okay.”

 

Chanyeol shook his head. “No. I’m tired of being treated like a puppet. Besides, if my company kicks me out, I’ll find a way to make it.” He laughed, playfully nuzzling Baekhyun’s cheek before opening instagram. He sighed, mentally preparing himself as he began a livestream. People were joining immediately, and he watched the hearts and comments flood in.

 

“Chanyeol-”

 

“As you all can see, I’m not being hacked. This is me, and this is Baekhyun.” Chanyeol started. He smiled slightly, taking in a shaky breath. “You already saw us together in pictures and such. That was us, regardless of what anyone says to cover it up.” He explained and watched the comments for a moment. “My girlfriend isn’t my girlfriend. That was fake. We’re friends, but we aren’t what our label made us out to be. Take that as you will.”

 

Baekhyun stared in awe at Chanyeol, smiling lovingly before turning his gaze to the front camera.

 

Chanyeol took in another breath, smiling. “I know most of you will want what’s best for me, and some of you will be unhappy. I love Baekhyun more than anything, and we are together-”

 

“I never said that.”

 

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol whined. He grinned widely at the playful look the smaller was giving him, leaning in and pecking his lips. He looked back at the camera, chuckling shyly. “Thank you for listening. I’ll see you all soon, hopefully.” He put the phone down after canceling the livestream. Shrieking, he immediately tackled Baekhyun back against the pillows and hid his face in his neck.

 

Baekhyun bursted into laughter and wrapped his legs around Chanyeol, playing with his curly hair. “I’m proud of you.” He whispered, kissing Chanyeol’s forehead once the taller lifted his head up to meet his gaze. “But who said we’re together?”

 

“I did. Just now.”

 

“I never agreed-”

 

“Can you please, just this once, not be a stubborn little shit?” Chanyeol laughed, leaving tiny kisses all over Baekhyun’s face. “I love you. You love me, so-”

 

“Do I?” Baekhyun whispered, pursing his lips in thought.

 

“Shut up.”

 

Baekhyun giggled loudly and nodded, squishing Chanyeol’s cheeks. “I do love you. I guess we can date again, or whatever.”

 

Chanyeol smiled widely, rolling onto his side and pulling Baekhyun closer before kissing his nose. “Can we have sex now?”

 

“Pervert.”

-

 

 

Baekhyun let out a deep breath when dropping his boxes onto Chanyeol’s floor a few days later, sitting down on the largest one and breathing heavily. “I’m tired of moving boxes.” He whispered. He watched as Chanyeol carried in two boxes with ease, the smaller’s eyes widening. “How do you do that?”

 

“I’m built.” Chanyeol said flatly, dropping the boxes and laughing loudly. “We need to start unpacking so you can be officially moved in.”

 

Baekhyun whined. “I _just_ got my stuff into your apartment. Can we wait a little? I’m hungry.”

 

“I’ll cook while you unpack.”

 

Baekhyun glared at Chanyeol.

 

Chanyeol chuckled and helped Baekhyun stand up, kissing his forehead. “I’ll order a pizza and then help you unpack.” He nodded. He smiled widely and bounced a little before pulling Baekhyun into a tight hug. “Will you come with me tomorrow? I’ve already been called into a different agency. I want you to be with me when I sign off.”

 

“I’ll go if we can eat cheese pizza tonight and not pepperoni.” Baekhyun said firmly, his arms wrapping tightly around Chanyeol’s frame. “You smell good.”

 

“Weirdo.” Chanyeol whispered, shaking his head as he pulled away to order the pizza. “Before I order, can you look in that box over there? I think it opened and I wanna make sure nothing fell.”

 

Baekhyun looked over at the box Chanyeol was gesturing to, walking towards it. “You better not have dropped any of my shit, Yeol.” He huffed and opened the box, his eyebrows furrowing at how light it was. When opening it, his eyes widened. “Yeol-”

 

Chanyeol grinned widely in excitement. “Yeah?”

 

“Is that my ring?” Baekhyun reached into the box and picked up his old engagement ring that he once threw at Chanyeol. “You kept it?”

 

Chanyeol nodded quickly and hurried over, sighing as he got down on one knee in front of Baekhyun. “I know you just forgave me, but I want to continue where we left off. Minus the you throwing the ring part. It’s okay if you say-”

 

Baekhyun sat down in front of Chanyeol, gently kissing his plump lips. He smiled brightly, putting the ring on his finger. “I say yes.”

 

“Really?” Chanyeol’s eyes were wide and round. He looked like a child who was being told they were going to Disney for the first time.

 

“Really. Just don’t fuck up again or Kyungsoo might slap you. Also, that song called ‘Coffee Girl’-”

 

“I’ll change it back to ‘Coffee Boy’. It was about you, anyway.”

 

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes playfully. “You’ll change it immediately?”

 

“Immediately!” Chanyeol laughed, pulling Baekhyun into a hug and kissing his cheek. “And Kyungsoo can kick my ass if he wants to. I'll never fuck up again.”

 

Baekhyun rested his chin on Chanyeol’s shoulder, smiling. “Promise?”

 

“Promise.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Idk how I managed to finish something like this in just 3 days, but I'm happy with how it turned out and this is definitely the best thing I've written so far.
> 
> Thank you Anjum and Brynn. Ily bitchies.


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